Boxing Ledger's Archives

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Paulie Malignaggi stayed true to his word. He said he had a "magic trick" in store for Juan Diaz. It seemed that the game plan was to provide Diaz with a target he thought he could hit. Then, hit Diaz with the jab, keep him turning and do not fight as much in close quarters like the first encounter. Paulie executed the strategy perfectly. He successfully utilized his boxing skills more this time around and the judges scored the fight fairly. All three official ringside judges scored the bout 116-111 for Malignaggi. I had it scored slightly better for Malignaggi at 117-110.

From the 1st round, Malignaggi's hand and foot speed bothered Diaz. Malignaggi used his superior boxing skills and jabbed Diaz repeatedly. Then, Malignaggi connected with a clean overhand right. Diaz landed a left hook to the head in the 2nd round, but Malignaggi was doing an excellent job of controlling distance. His feints got Diaz off his game, and he connected again with a clean right. Malignaggi was boxing beautifully, but Diaz hurt himself by not throwing the jab enough to work his way into close range. However, Diaz did a better job during the exchanges in the 3rd round, connecting with left hooks and an overhand right. Yet, Malignaggi was getting his punches off first. Diaz did not move his head well and Malignaggi continued to strike him with his quick, accurate jab.

In the 5th round, Diaz did manage to get close and land some body shots. Diaz hit Malignaggi with an overhand right and left hook. At this point, it was Diaz's best round. Diaz started to work his jab in the 6th round. He was able to nail Malignaggi with a left hook to the body and follow it with a right to the head. Malignaggi fired back. He hit Diaz with a right uppercut in close quarters and followed it with a left hook. Subsequently, Diaz was stunned when Malignaggi unleashed another right uppercut. Malignaggi went back to boxing more in the 7th round, while Diaz's punch output dropped. Diaz appeared to suffer a cut above his left eye in the 8th round. Malignaggi was unrelenting and connected with right uppercuts and overhand rights.

In the 9th round, Malignaggi really worked his jab efficiently. Diaz could not get his punches off. Malignaggi kept snapping the jab and in the 10th round, landed an overhand right that knocked Diaz off balance. Apparently, Diaz's glove touched the canvas and the referee ruled it a knockdown. In the 11th round, Malignaggi was still effectively using the jab to control range, but Diaz started to land his jab and some left hooks.

Diaz got much closer in the 12th round and landed an overhand right. Diaz was aggressive and outworked Malignaggi in the last round. Diaz got the better of the exchanges when Malignaggi chose to battle more. However, Malignaggi did enough to win the fight.

When Malignaggi boxed on the outside, Diaz could not touch him. With little head movement and a lack of an operative jab, Diaz was thoroughly outclassed. At times, Diaz was successful in close range when Malignaggi selected to stand and trade with him. Still, Malignaggi fought well in close quarters.

After the fight, Malignaggi called out Juan Manuel Marquez and stated that the winner could fight Ricky Hatton. Malignaggi also said that he is willing to travel to England for a rematch with Hatton. Malignaggi is a very slick boxer, who would be a favorite against Marquez should the fight take place. Marquez has shown problems when he's faced boxers in the past, most notably against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in his previous fight. Freddie Norwood and Chris John were also able to outbox Marquez easily. Malignaggi could be victorious in a rematch with Hatton, if he executes his fight strategy the way he did against Diaz. Diaz left the ring and did not conduct an interview with HBO's Max Kellerman.

In what may have been his best performance as a professional fighter, Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley (25-0, 11 KO's) fought a sensational fight and took a 12 round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Lamont Peterson (27-1, 13 KO's). With the victory, Bradley retained his WBO Junior Welterweight title. The official judges scored the bout 118-110, 119-108 and 120-107. I had the fight scored 119-108 for Bradley as well.

In the 1st round, Peterson displayed a strong body attack and backed Bradley up with an effective jab. Bradley got better as the round went on, and connected with a hard left hook to the body. Then, Bradley landed a solid right on Peterson's chin. Bradley timed the punch perfectly because he threw it right over Peterson's jab as he was bringing his left hand back.

In round two, Bradley started where he left off in the first round. He was timing Peterson and connected with a big right hand. Then, Bradley scored with a hard left hook to the body and landed a vicious left uppercut. Bradley was throwing and landing his combinations beautifully. All of the punches that hit Peterson were coming off his jab. When he finished throwing a combination, Bradley fired the jab again to make sure Peterson was not in range to hit him.

Peterson was not moving well laterally in the 3rd round and Bradley made him pay. He hit Peterson with a volume of rights and lefts to the body. After that, Bradley dropped Peterson with a solid overhand right that landed above Peterson's left ear. However, Peterson would come back strong. As they were exchanging a series of blows, Peterson started to hurt Bradley with his body punches. Bradley was momentarily stunned by a left hook to the body. In a very competitive 4th round, both fighters continued to attack the body furiously. Bradley backed up Peterson when he landed a sharp, right uppercut. As the bell sounded to end round four, Bradley connected with a left hook.

Bradley is a very durable junior welterweight, and showed it when he absorbed a flush right hand from Peterson in the 5th round. However, Bradley landed more meaningful punches and was able to place his shots more efficiently than Peterson. In round six, Peterson continued to fight bravely, but Bradley was hitting him with some real crisp combinations.

Bradley proved that he was the more technically sound fighter as he continued to beat Peterson to the punch in the 7th and 8th rounds. Bradley repeatedly utilized a well-timed jab and skillfully moved around the ring. He continued to finish his combinations with jabs or hooks. When Peterson was in close range, Bradley would catch him with overhand rights. Bradley kept Peterson turning, and rarely stayed in his range to be countered. Peterson wanted to turn the fight into a brawl, but Bradley was smart. He just kept boxing Peterson, and would not let him get set to land meaningful punches.

As the fight moved into the 10th round, Bradley had the higher and more thriving work rate. When Peterson's punch output dropped, it enabled Bradley to connect with a vicious left hook. Bradley did a nice job of mixing up his combinations to the body, and then attacking Peterson's head. Bradley preferred to box, but when he was hit, he aggressively fought back. Showing no fear when exchanging blows, Bradley just kept punching and slowed Peterson with body shots.

Peterson came out ferociously in the 12th round, but Bradley remained poised and a step ahead of him. As he did for most of the fight, Bradley unleashed his punches when he was at a safe distance from Peterson. However, knowing it was his last opportunity to pull out a win, Peterson applied enormous pressure, which resulted in both men slugging it out until the bell rang to end the fight.

After his dominating performance, Bradley has some options at 140 lbs. Bradley could face Amir Khan, who just kayoed Dmitriy Salita in the 1st round. Another opponent could be Paulie Malignaggi, since he outpointed Juan Diaz over 12 rounds convincingly in their rematch. Juan Urango, Devon Alexander, Marcos Maidana and even Ricky Hatton present more possibilities. Timothy Bradley has clearly improved with each fight and would be a handful for any future challenger.

Again, Darchinyan appeared to have some trouble with a tall, rangy fighter. In the 1st round, Darchinyan started a bit slow. Rojas connected with a solid overhand left that surprised Darchinyan. Rojas, a southpaw as well, was trying to control range with his right jab. Darchinyan answered with a lunging right hook to Rojas' head. Darchinyan also hit Rojas with a left uppercut and followed it with a strong left to the body. Then, in the 2nd round, Darchinyan missed a left uppercut, but landed a clean overhand left to Rojas' face. Next, Rojas made a gesture with his gloves, signaling Darchinyan to keep bringing it. Well, with the very next punch, Darchinyan delivered the knockout blow. Rojas got nailed with a crushing left that snapped his head back and dropped him to the canvas. The time of the knockout was 2:54.

After the fight, Darchinyan noted that he would like to avenge his only professional losses to Nonito Donaire and Joseph Agbeko. First, he would like a bout with Donaire, but Donaire needs to win his upcoming bout in February against Gerson Guerrero. If Donaire is successful, expect a possible match up in the middle-end of 2010.

Vitali Klitschko has emerged victorious again, as he took a one-sided, 12 round unanimous decision victory over Kevin Johnson. The official judges scored the bout 120-108 twice and 119-109. With the win, Klitschko improved to 39-2, 37 KO's. Since 2000, Klitschko has won 12 of 13 bouts, with the only loss coming against Lennox Lewis (TKO 6), when he suffered a severe cut above his left eye and the bout was stopped. Kevin Johnson falls to (22-1-1, 9 KO's).

In the 1st round, Klitschko pressed forward and threw a blinding left jab. For the duration of the fight, Johnson was hesistant to let his hands go. Johnson is known to be a defensive fighter, but Klitschko still imposed his will on him. Klitschko connected with a right hand lead as Johnson was leaning back against the ropes. In the 2nd round, Johnson caught Klitschko with a right, but Klitschko continued to pop his jab. Then, Klitschko landed a right hand and followed it with left hook leads. He also hit Johnson with right hands behind the jab.

Moving ahead to the 6th round, Klitschko landed a hard right to the body and continued to get his punches off first. Johnson was trying to dodge many of Klitschko's punches, and could not land many of his own. In the 9th round, Klitschko caught Johnson again with the overhand right. Heading into the 11th round, Klitschko was in total control of the fight. He was dominating Johnson with the jab and firing rights. Klitschko's height and reach advantage was too much for Johnson to overcome. Johnson lacked a solid offensive output, which led Klitschko to dominate the fight.

Who will challenge Vitali next? Will he ever be defeated again? Is there anyone out there, who poses a dangerous risk to him? Fans and sports betting entities alike are dying to find out. Odlanier Solis could be Vitali Klitschko's next opponent. Solis is 15-0, 11 KO's and has 231 amateur fights to his credit. Solis is a six-time Cuban National Champion (1999-2004). In 2004, Solis won Olympic gold in the heavyweight division in Athens, Greece. Solis is listed at 6' 1" inches tall with a 73" inch reach. However, Klitschko is 6' 7 1/2" inches tall with an 80" inch reach advantage. How would Solis plan to battle Klitschko?

Monday, December 7, 2009

Paulie Malignaggi was born to Sicilian immigrant parents in Brooklyn's Bensonhurst neighborhood. He is an outstanding, resilient fighter, who had an exceptional career as an amateur and won a national title. Before he heads out to Chicago, Paulie took some time out from training to discuss his upcoming rematch with Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz. Q: You are a very slick boxer with exceptional hand speed. Did you ever try to emulate anyone’s style?

A: Thanks for the questions.Honestly, I just go outthere and be myself, and put on the best performance Malignaggi can put on for the crowd.

Q:I had the privilege to sit ringside for your fight on June 10th, 2006 against Miguel Cotto. It was the first fight card I attended at Madison Square Garden. You fought a very courageous fight, but lost by a 12 round unanimous decision. What did you learn from that experience that helped you become a better fighter today?

A:I tested my ability that night, and of course, I wanted to win that fight, but it showed a lot about me. It showed that I can hang with the best 140 pounders in the world, and that I am an elite fighter. Cotto was a tough fighter, and we put on a great show that night.I showed you that I can be a slick boxer and still put on a great performance.

Q:You returned in 2007, and defeated Edner Cherry by a 10 round unanimous decision. Then, you captured the IBF junior welterweight title when you outclassed Lovemore N’dou, earning a 12 round unanimous decision victory. I thought this was the best performance of your career. N’dou brought out your best boxing skills and you dominated the fight. You won “Comeback of the Year” award from Ring Magazine. Can you describe how you felt at this point in your career?

A:I just won a world title. Everyone doubted Paulie Malignaggi, but once again, I proved the critics wrong. It was one of the best days of my life.It’s been what I wanted since I gotinto boxing. I always wanted to be a world champ and it came true.If you believe in yourself, great things can happen.

Q:Did the cheering and singing of all the fans from England, who came to support Ricky Hatton, affect your performance that night? If an opportunity presented itself, would you like to face Ricky Hatton again? If so, what adjustments would you make?

A:Of course, that night I fought Ricky Hatton was a bad night for Paulie Malignaggi. Wasn’t the best performance I put on, wasn’t my night. Everything was going wrong up to that night. I had bad training etc. But the fans were great, and that just gets you more pumped.

Q:On August 22nd, 2009, many fight fans including myself, felt that you should have been awarded a 12 round unanimous decision victory over Juan Diaz. You were very vocal about the loss after the bout. Gale Van Hoy scored the bout 118-110 and Judge David Sutherland scored the bout 116-112 for Diaz. In my eyes, this was just not possible. At the least, I had you winning 8 rounds to 4. I thought Diaz landed his share of clean punches, but you appeared to be outworking him for the majority of the minutes, in almost every round. You landed clean punches inside, and you were also doing a good job of utilizing your jab from the outside, to set up your punches as Diaz charged toward you. When HBO's Max Kellerman asked you about a possible rematch, you said, “You know, I'm not getting a rematch.” Now that you are fighting Diaz again December 12th on HBO, are you going to change your strategy at all?

A:Everyone is going to have to tune in onDECEMBER 12THto see what’s in store for Juan Diaz. If you like Magic, then come watch the greatest disappearing trick of all time!

Q:I never saw Diaz ever make any adjustments in a fight. He knows how to fight one way – going straight forward with pressure. Do you expect him to do anything different in the rematch?

A: He might switch it up a little, but we're ready for anything Juan Diaz presents.

Q:How did the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois become the site for the rematch? What other cities were being explored?

A:Of course, we wanted New York or New Jersey. Vegas was an option as well, but that wasn’t neutral at all, and they definitely wouldn’t go to the east coast.So, people came up with Chicago and it’s a great place. A lot of fight fans love this sport, so I am looking forward to being in Chicago.

Q:Did you ever fight in Chicago? How do you think the fans will react to you? Will many of your friends and family be making the trip from Brooklyn?

A: Well, I fought there once when I was younger, but not on a big stage like this. Yeah, we're getting tons of support and feedback from fans all over the world, who are flying in for this fight. It’s crazy! But Malignaggi fans are going to be there supporting, which is great! Can’t get any better then this!!!

Q:Where did you decide to train for the rematch with Diaz? How are things going in training camp?

A: In New York,its home. Didn’t want to go no where else! Things went perfect.

Q:If you are successful over Diaz, who would you like to face next? What is the next goal you are aiming to accomplish in boxing?

A:Hatton rematch would be great. Amir Khan just got a big victory, so there'soptions at 140, but we'll see who wants it after December 12th.

Q:At 29 years old, you have some years left in boxing to continue to showcase your skills. Have you thought about what you would like to do after boxing? Did you ever think of commentary? Or training fighters in the gym back home in New York?

A: We'll see. Hopefully, Hollywood is ready for a Brooklynite!

Q:You have been outside the ring doing print clothing ads that have been featured in such magazines as Esquire and Playboy. What made you get into fashion? Are you currently working on anymore ads?

A: We got some things in the works. I’m from the fashion capital of the world!LOL

Q:Finally, what is the world going to see from the “Magic Man” on December 12th? Do you have any surprises for Diaz?

A:Paulie Malignaggi always has tricks up his sleeves!So, when December 12th comes, Diaz will get a personal magic trick of his own!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Can you say "Fight of the Year"? Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez gave everything they had, and then some more, in front of a ecstatic crowd in Atlantic City, NJ. If you had to sum up this fight in a few words, you could say both fighters showed tremendous heart and courage, with Williams being the busier fighter and Martinez landing the harder shots.

From the opening bell, Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez fought at a rapid pace. Early in the 1st round, Martinez connected with a solid right hook, but Williams took the punch well. Then, Williams knocked Martinez down with a grazing straight left to the head. Martinez appeared to be slightly off-balanced as Williams landed the punch. After he got up, Martinez rocked Williams with a hard, straight left. Next, Martinez sent Williams down and into the ropes with a powerful right hook just as the 1st round was coming to an end.

Martinez continued to fight soundly in the 2nd round, stunning Williams again with a right hook off of his right jab. Martinez also connected with a left uppercut to the body. Williams was more aggressive in the 3rd round, hitting Martinez with right jabs and straight lefts. Martinez took the punches and fired back a right hook and straight left combination. After that, Williams struck Martinez with another straight left.

As the 4th round began, Williams was stunned again when Martinez hit him with consecutive straight lefts. Next, Williams landed a thunderous right hook to Martinez's head. Martinez took the shot and threw his right jab. Martinez snapped Williams' head back with a right hook-straight left combination. Williams showed a good chin and hit Martinez back with a straight left. Following that exchange, Williams hit Martinez with another vigorous left hand.

Williams landed a right hook-straight left combination to start the 5th round, but Martinez would counter back yet again. This time, Martinez connected with a violent straight left that stunned Williams. Somehow, Williams took another rock-solid punch from Martinez and came back with right hooks and straight lefts. The fight would continue at this pace through rounds 6 and 7. Moving into the 8th round, Williams landed a straight left, but Martinez started to attack the body frequently. He landed some fierce, straight lefts to Williams' right side. A right hook to the head sent Williams back.

Martinez continually hammered Williams with flush, straight lefts to the head and body in the 10th round. Williams was busy and kept coming forward, throwing his right jab. He landed a grueling right hook to Martinez's head. Martinez would start fast in the 11th, connecting with straight lefts and a right hook. Throughout the fight, Martinez hit Williams flush with the right hook. Williams never made an adjustment.

As the bell rang to begin the 12th round, Williams ran across the ring and fired a straight left. In close range, Martinez got in another straight left to the body. Subsequently, Williams came back again, connecting with a left uppercut and followed it with a right hook. Finally, Williams landed a straight left-right hook combination.

Julie Lederman scored the bout a draw at 114-114. Lynne Carter scored it 115-113 for Williams. Both of these scores were reasonable. However, Pierre Benoist scored the bout 119-110 for Williams. There is absolutely no possible way that anyone could rationally argue that Martinez only won one round. Was Pierre Benoist trying to make a mockery of boxing in this potential "fight of the year" match up? It taints Paul Williams' victory tonight. Julie Lederman resides in New York, while Pierre Benoist and Lynne Carter are from New Jersey.

This fight was very difficult to score. I thought Williams was busy and at times, forced the fight more. However, Martinez delivered the harder blows and landed the cleaner shots. Both men absorbed harsh punishment from each other throughout the 12 rounds. I scored it 116-115 for Martinez. I had rounds 1, 9 and 12 even. With the victory, Paul Williams improves his record to 38-1, 27 KO's. Martinez drops to 44-2-2, 24 KO's. Anyone want to see Williams-Martinez II in 2010?

Arreola KO's Minto In 4th Round

In a rugged toe-to-toe battle, Chris Arreola scored a 4th round knockout over Brian Minto. Both fighters were able to connect with many flush right hands throughout the bout. In the 1st round, Minto hit Arreola with a right hand that landed just over Arreola's jab. Arreola countered with an overhand right. At that moment, Minto nailed Arreola with a left hook-overhand right combination. Overall, Arreola utilized the jab better during the round.

Minto struck Arreola with a clean, right uppercut in the 2nd round. Arreola fired back with an overhand right. Minto was successful going to the body. Arreola connected with a hard left hook, but Minto showed he could take a solid punch. Then, Minto nailed Arreola with an overhand right. Arreola landed another right that caused swelling to appear under Minto's left eye when the round ended. Stay pretty with MMA headgear.

As he did in the 1st round, Arreola started to work his jab again. Early in the 3rd round, both guys connected with right hand shots. The action in the 4th round intensified when Arreola hammered and dropped Minto with a left hook-overhand right combination. Both guys were unleashing their shots at the same time, but Arreola's got to the target quicker. Minto got back to his feet and continued to fight hard. He landed a right, but Arreola hit him again with his right. Minto started to walk right into Arreola's overhand right, which is his best punch. Arreola put Minto down again with another left hook-right hand combination. This time, referee Eddie Cotton counted to ten and the fight was over.

Arreola bounced back nicely following his hard fought loss to Vitali Klitschko. Yesterday, Arreola weighed 263 lbs. If Arreola can control his weight issues better, he may be able to have more of an impact in the heavyweight division.

Chris Arreola improves his record to 28-1, 25 KO's. Brian Minto's record now stands at 34-3, 21 KO's.

Amir Khan knocked down Dimitriy Salita 3 times in the 1st round to retain his WBA junior welterweight title. Khan first floored Salita with a left hook-overhand right combination 1o seconds into the fight. After trapping Salita in the corner, Khan dropped him again when he connected with a barrage of punches. With Salita's back against the ropes, Khan finished him with a hard left hook to the head. The official time of the stoppage was 1:16.

Amir Khan improves his record to 22-1, 16 KO's. Dimitriy Salita suffered his first professional loss and falls to 30-1-1, 16 KO's. In the Lightweight class at the 2004 Olympics, Khan captured a Silver Medal. It looks like Manny Pacquiao has one great sparring partner in Amir Khan, as he prepares for his potential fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on March 13, 2010.

In SHOBOX's junior middleweight main event, Carson Jones (24-7-1, 15 KO's) knocked out previously undefeated Tyrone Brunson, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (21-1-1, 20 KO's), in the 3rd round. Brunson set a boxing record of 19 straight victories to start a professional career, in which he won them all by 1st round knockout. Jones was going to be Brunson's first big test as a professional and Brunson failed. Before the bout began and as they were about to touch gloves, Jones said to Brunson, "You fighting a real fighter tonight baby!"

Jones could not have been anymore correct with his pre-fight statement. However, Brunson started strong in round one and controlled the fight by employing his left jab. Jones did not throw many punches this round. Brunson clearly had the edge in hand speed and won the round easily by repeatedly firing his jab as he moved around the ring. In the 2nd round, Brunson continued to fight efficiently from a safe distance. He started to hit Jones with rights to the body. In the later part of the round, Brunson really fired often to the body. Brunson was trying to make Jones' lower his hands, with the hopes of landing some clean head shots. Next, after attacking Jones' body further, Brunson landed a stinging overhand right. Jones threw more punches than the previous round, but did not land anything solid.

After Brunson jabbed, he had a tendency to bring his hand back low. In the 3rd round, Jones made him pay for it when he connected with a hard overhand right-left hook combination to Brunson's jaw that floored him. It was the first time in his professional career that Brunson was knocked down. Brunson was badly hurt and Jones knew it. He went for the knockout after Brunson got back on his feet. Jones chased Brunson around the ring, throwing left hooks and overhand rights as he moved along the ropes. Then, Jones nailed Brunson with a sharp right uppercut. Brunson was stunned yet again. With his gloves held high and his back against the ropes, Brunson was hit with a barrage of punches from Jones and had no answer for them. Jones seriously hurt Brunson when he landed a right to the body and followed it up with a left hook to the head. Jones just kept unleashing punishing rights and lefts to Brunson's body and head, until the referee stopped the fight.

Anchondo Wins Controversial Split Decision

Also, in a welterweight bout, Mike Anchondo gave Mauricio Herrera his first lost as a professional when he won an 8 round split decision. This victory did not come without controversy. The official judges scored the bout 79-73 for Herrera, but 77-75 twice for Anchondo. Herrera appeared to land the cleaner punches in the fight. I had the fight scored 78-74 for Herrera.

Herrera was effective in the first round because he established his jab and landed many punches off of it. Anchondo had a tough time getting in close range without utilizing his jab. Anchondo did hit Herrera in the body with some solid punches. In the 2nd round, both fighters unleashed some heavy punches at each other. Herrera connected nicely with a solid right in close quarters. Then, Herrera hit Anchondo with a left hook and landed some crisp combinations behind the jab.

Anchondo could take a clean punch well, but he got hit a lot after he delivered his punches. Anchondo leaned forward with his head too much as he pressured a moving Herrera. In the 3rd round, Herrera repeatedly connected with flush right hands to Anchondo's head. Anchondo landed a hard left hook to the body, but he stayed in front of Herrera too long. Herrera tagged Anchondo with an inside left uppercut and followed it with another right hand. Herrera continued to beat Anchondo to the punch in the 4th and 5th rounds. In the beginning, Anchondo was forcing the action. Now, Herrera dictated the pace and unloaded many more punches.

Anchondo's punch output appeared to slow down in the 6th round. Herrera connected frequently with 3 or 4 punches at a time as he moved around the ring. Then, Anchondo landed his best punch of the fight when he hit Herrera with a powerful left hook that may have broke Herrera's nose. Herrera was bleeding and Anchondo attacked him with an overhand right and left hook to the body.

Anchondo hit Herrera with a right uppercut in round seven, but was still getting hit too often because he was putting on pressure, and not using a jab to work his way into close range. The 8th round contained non-stop action. First, Anchondo fought back aggressively subsequent to taking a solid right on the chin. Anchondo attacked Herrera's body, while Herrera continued to land head shots. Just as the bell rang to end the fight, Herrera took a solid punch from Anchondo on the chin.

Afterward, Herrera's face appeared very damaged, but Anchondo took a lot more punches from Herrera and they were effective shots too. Anchondo possessed a quality body attack and may have been able to inflict additional damage, if he would have worked behind the jab better. Mike Anchondo improves to (30-2, 19 KO's) and Mauricio Herrera falls to (13-1, 6 KO's).

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

At 44 years old, Bernard Hopkins can still dish out a beating. Tonight, Hopkins won a 12 round unanimous decision against Enrique Ornelas, who had previously been a sparring partner to the living legend not too long ago. The official judges scored the bout 118-110, 120-109 and 119-109. I had it scored 119-109 for Hopkins.

Hopkins started at a slow pace, but finished the fight very strong. In the 1st round, Hopkins showed a skilled defense as he slipped many of Ornelas' shots. The crafty veteran was successful in making Ornelas come to him, so he could land quick, clean shots. At the end of round 2, Ornelas caught Hopkins with a solid left hook, but Hopkins, as he has showed his whole career, can take a solid punch and took it well. Both fighters picked up the pace in the 3rd round when they were exchanging and landing clean punches in close quarters. Hopkins was doing a lot of holding and hitting.

Ornelas was more aggressive in the 4th round, but Hopkins had a strong 5th round. He caught Ornelas with a flush left hook. Then, Hopkins hammered Ornelas with a big right when Ornelas rushed toward him. Hopkins delivered his counter punches quicker as each round passed. Ornelas connected with a right in round 6, but Hopkins beat Ornelas with speedy counter punches for most of the round. Hopkins was very accurate placing his shots in the 7th round, and momentarily hurt Ornelas when he connected with a right to the head. Hopkins started to beat Ornelas to the punch much faster and more precisely than in the previous rounds. Hopkins snapped Ornelas' head back in the 8th round with series of right crosses and right uppercuts.

Ornelas became frustrated because he was having difficulty landing his punches in succession. Hopkins' superior athletic ability was not helping him. In the 11th round, Hopkins nailed Ornelas with a sequence of right hand leads. Ornelas had no answer for them. Hopkins was landing perfect counter punches and fighting very smart in spots. In the 12th round, it seemed as if Hopkins was headed to a unanimous decision victory. You would expect Hopkins to box, right? No, Hopkins started to attack and go for the knockout. He landed a series of body shots and connected with a sharp right uppercut. Ornelas could not match Hopkins' hand speed in the exchanges.

Hopkins stays one step ahead of his opponents. He creates his offensive output by illusions. Hopkins' opponents think they are in a range to counter him or to land their punches, but never really are that close to landing multiple punches in a series. He's out thinking them the whole time as Ornelas found out. Hopkins will sometimes tie his opponent up, hit them in close quarters or throw right hand leads and connect from a surprising distance. He also baits the opposition in by using a lot of head and shoulder feints. Hopkins uses his jab more for a range finder than to hurt opponents. For instance, Hopkins lets Ornelas chase him around the ring. Ornelas starts to move where Hopkins wants him to go without realizing it. Then, Ornelas gets frustrated when he cannot land clean punches. Finally, Hopkins starts to inflict damaging blows.

Hopkins was hoping to acquire a rematch with Roy Jones Jr., but Jones lost earlier today to Danny Green when he was stopped in the 1st round. However, Hopkins was optimistic a fight can still be made when he stated the following: "Roy Jones Jr. lost on his feet, not on his back. A knockout and TKO is totally different. It was a TKO and there were punches thrown. I've seen more of them miss than hit. It was more of a flurry...Let the man at least defend himself, when he's going down or basically quit."

What's next for Bernard Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KO's), who turns 45 years old in January? Hopkins has other options besides a fight with Roy Jones Jr. He could fight undefeated super middleweight Lucian Bute, who is a big draw in Montreal and just defeated Librado Andrade by a 4th round knockout. Also, David Haye was mentioned because Hopkins has set a goal to win a heavyweight title in 2010. Haye captured the WBA belt from Nikolay Valuev in November. After the fight tonight, Hopkins also went onto say, "I am going to be the heavyweight champion of the world in 2010." Tomasz Adamek presents another possible big pay day for Hopkins because he can sell out the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ with his Polish fanbase. With Hopkins hailing from Philadelphia and Adamek now training in Jersey City, NJ, after moving to the states from Poland and recently moving up to the heavyweight division, this fight would be intriguing as well. Finally, there's undefeated light heavyweight Chad Dawson. He presents a big challenge to Hopkins because he is in his prime, possesses great hand speed and is a southpaw.

Garcia KO's Colin

Danny "Swift" Garcia improves his record to (15-0, 10 KO's) with a sensational 2nd round knockout over Mexico's Enrique Colin (23-5-3, 19 KO's). Colin's size appeared to make Garcia a little tentative to throw early in the 1st round. However, in the final seconds of round 1, a left hook-right hand combination by Garcia floored Colin. Colin was able to make it out of the round. In round 2, Garcia stunned Colin with a big right. Colin was hurt and Garcia sensed it. Garcia feinted with his left and fired another huge right hand that dropped Colin again. This time, Colin could not get back to his feet. Garcia, a 21 year old from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, defeated a tough veteran and is quickly moving through the ranks in the junior welterweight division.

De Leon Defeats Wilson

In a 4 round featherweight match, 30 year old Guadalupe De Leon (8-9, 4 KO's) defeated previously unbeaten Derrick Wilson (5-1-1, 2 KO's) by a split decision. All 3 judges scored the bout 39-37, two of them in favor of De Leon. Prior to his victory over Wilson, De Leon had lost 7 consecutive fights.

Green Upsets Jones

Once upon a time, Roy Jones Jr. was the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Now, he is seriously endangering his health if he continues boxing. It what was supposed to be a tune-up bout before engaging in a potential rematch with Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr. was knocked out in the 1st round by Australia's Danny Green (28-3, 25 KO's). Green nailed Jones with an overhand right that dropped the former 4 division world champ. Jones rose to his feet, but was in a daze. Green pounded a stunned Jones with a barrage of punches until the referee stopped the bout. Green retained his IBO cruiserweight title and has now won his last 7 bouts. The official time of the stoppage was 2:02.

After accumulating an impressive career record of 49-1, 38 KO's, (only loss coming by disqualification to Montell Griffin and was avenged with a 1st round knockout) Roy Jones Jr. is 5-5 in his last 10 bouts, with 3 of the losses coming by knockout. Jones' overall career record now stands at (54-6, 40 KO's). In 2004, Glen Johnson kayoed Jones in the 9th round with an overhand right that looked eerily similar to the punch Green landed. Both punches hit Jones on the top of his head. Jones also lost a one-sided decision to Joe Calzaghe in 2008, but won two consecutive fights prior to facing Green.

It is very difficult for an athlete to admit when his or her career has come to end. It is even harder for a fighter to walk away from the sport of boxing, especially when you dominated the competition for years. All boxers are full of courage, heart and pride. Some fighters possess and exhibit these traits more than others. It is always much harder for the great ones to call an end to their careers. In his prime, Roy Jones Jr. was magnificent. He possessed blazing hand speed, solid punching power and was so quick, accomplished fighters had a lot of trouble countering him. In the past, a fighter would be lucky to hit Jones with one solid punch or even win a round against him. Jones always fought intelligent fights. At 40 years old, let's hope Jones makes another intelligent decision and chooses to hang up his gloves.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

In Showtime's lightweight main event, Martin Honorio (27-4-1, 14 KO's) scored a 10 round unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten John Molina Jr. (18-1, 14 KO's). Entering the fight, Molina had knocked down the opposition 26 times in 15 of his 18 fights. Also, Molina knocked out 6 of his opponents in the 1st round and 5 in the 2nd round. However, Honorio proved to be too technically sound for a one-dimensional Molina. Honorio's other notable victories have come against Cristobal Cruz, Steven Luevano and Rogers Mtagwa. Honorio has made a nice comeback after suffering a 1st round technical knockout loss against Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero.

Honorio started the bout strong in the 1st round by popping Molina's head back with a stiff left jab. Honorio attacked Molina's body with a series of left hooks. Molina nailed Honorio with an overhand right. Honorio had an edge in hand speed. Molina was clearly the harder puncher, but had trouble getting his punches off throughout the bout. Honorio landed the cleaner punches in the round.

Honorio continued to score with the jab and his lateral movement was giving Molina problems. Molina's defense is not that good and he was an easy target for Honorio. Honorio landed a series of left hooks and repeatedly beat Molina to the punch. Molina hit Honorio with a hard overhand right as the 2nd round ended.

In the 3rd round, Honorio started to land combinations to the body and head. Molina was constantly a stationary target, getting hit with Honorio's jab. Honorio had a reach advantage and it was tough for Molina to get into close range. However, Molina needed to jab more to help his cause. Without the use of an effective jab, Molina was getting hammered with rights and lefts to the body.

Honorio was the busier fighter as the fight moved into the 4th round. Molina was not letting his hands go enough. He did land a right uppercut, but Honorio countered with a flurry of punches. Both fighters exchanged left hooks. Molina got tagged with an overhand right, but fired back. Molina's punching power was evident when they traded in close quarters. Honorio still landed more shots in the round, but Molina was getting closer to inflicting more damage. Train your hands with boxing gloves by Everlast and Ringside.

As the fight got to the midway point in the 5th round, Molina snapped Honorio's head back with a left. Honorio countered with a straight right. Honorio threw a combination to the body and head that ended with him landing a sharp, accurate left hook. Molina landed his best combination of the fight when he hit Honorio with a left uppercut, left hook and wide right that momentarily stunned him.

Molina's best round may have been the 6th. He landed consecutive overhand rights before Honorio hit him with some left hooks to the body. An accidental clash of heads left Honorio with a hairline cut and Molina suffered a cut above his left eye. Honorio's face started to show some bruising. Honorio ripped some body shots, while Molina jabbed and followed it with an overhand right.

Before his fight with Honorio, Molina had never entered the 7th round. Honorio forced Molina back as he connected with a series of body shots and then fired punches at Molina's head. As the bout entered the 8th round, Honorio persistently kept beating Molina to the punch. Molina took some vicious punishment to the body this round. Honorio's movement was effective. Molina simply could not catch the better boxer. Honorio landed a series of lefts and rights to Molina's face. A straight right-left uppercut combination forced Molina's head back.

In the 9th round, Honorio repeatedly moved in and out unleashing a body assault on Molina. Molina was not able to adapt his style to be effective. As both fighters entered the 10th and final round, it was the same story. Honorio moved inside and out, continuously scoring with body punching. Both fighters threw some thunderous punches. Molina did land a big left hook. Honorio was going for a knockout in a fight he appeared to have won, if it went to the scorecards. Honorio showed a little tiredness and Molina was able to connect with a right. Honorio did not take a step back, but he did not score a knockout. The official ringside judges scored the bout 99-91 and 98-92 twice in favor of Martin Honorio. I had the fight scored 99-91 in favor of Honorio as well.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Alejandro Perez put the pressure on Rico Ramos early, scoring with body punches and left hooks in the 1st round. Ramos tried to find his range with the jab and landed some left hooks and overhand rights to Perez's head. Perez was assertive, but not reckless throwing his punches. He placed his shots well in this round and landed better combinations.

In the 2nd round, Perez continued to successfully apply pressure on Ramos. He landed hard combinations to Ramos' body. Ramos countered with some combination punching of his own. When Perez got into range, Ramos would flurry with left hooks and right hands. Then, Ramos moved and tried to fight from the outside, to control distance with his jab. Perez continued to stay on top of him. Toward the end of the round, Ramos was being attacked by Perez. Perez threw an overhand right as Ramos was trapped in the corner. Ramos fired a short, quick right to the head that Perez never saw and it dropped him to the canvas.

Ramos was being forced again to counter in the 3rd round due to the relentless assault of Perez. In the first minute, Ramos rocked Perez with some brutal left hooks and rights to the head. Ramos clearly showed the edge in hand speed. Perez was getting blistered with effective counter punches from Ramos, but managed to stay on his feet.

Moving into the 4th round, Ramos seemed to find his range. Perez backed Ramos into a corner, but Ramos fought his way out. Perez trapped Ramos into another corner and was hitting him with rock-solid shots to the body. However, Ramos countered Perez with very sharp and accurate left uppercuts. As the round headed to a close, Ramos slowed the body attack of Perez by landing short left hooks to Perez's head.

The 5th round began with Perez absorbing punishing left hooks and right hands to his face. Perez took a sound punch, but he was starting to slow down. Then, Ramos landed consecutive left hooks to Perez's body. Perez was relentless, but was taking too many clean punches from Ramos.

Heading into the 6th round, Ramos had established control of the fight. Perez continued to absorb hard left hooks from Ramos as he charged forward. In the 7th round, Perez started fast and caught Ramos in the corner. Ramos moved out of the corner and staggered Perez with a big left hook. Ramos jumped on him, landing some more left hooks. Next, Ramos followed up with a series of rights and left uppercuts that landed precisely. Perez just kept getting beaten to the punch. The edge in hand speed was now becoming harder for Perez to overcome.

Finally, in the 8th round, Ramos continued to be a step quicker as he nailed Perez with an overhand right. All of the official judges scored the bout in favor of Rico Ramos. Scores were 78-73 and 80-71 twice. The 22 year old Ramos improved to 14-0, 8 KO's. Ramos has been boxing since he was 8 years old and made his pro debut back in March of 2008. Heading into the bout, Ramos held an edge in amateur experience with 130 fights to Perez's 33. Alejandro Perez falls to 14-2-1, 9 KO's. Hang a punching bag without drilling with a heavy bag stand.

Lucian Bute had something to prove in his rematch with Librado Andrade. In their first encounter, Bute was controlling the fight until he got tired in the 12th round. With three seconds left in the bout, Bute backed into the corner and Andrade nailed him with a right hand. Bute dropped to the canvas, but rose back to his feet. While the referee was conducting the ten count, he momentarily stopped to signal Andrade to stay in a neutral corner. This gave Bute another moment to catch his breath. After the bout, there was controversy because Andrade's corner felt the referee should have continued the count without stopping. Many felt that if the referee did not hesitate, Andrade would have won by TKO. However, Bute did get up and there was no time for either fighter to throw another punch. Bute won via unanimous decision.

Tonight, Bute dominated and knocked out Andrade in the 4th round when he landed a brutal left to the midsection, after flooring him with a straight left to the face in the same round. Bute started fast by throwing the right jab and establishing his edge in hand speed. He hit Andrade with three clean, straight lefts off the jab in the 1st round. Andrade showed a durable chin when he took a right hook-straight left combination from Bute in the 3rd round. Andrade is known to take a solid punch very well, but that might not be the case anymore. In the 4th round, Andrade struck Bute with consecutive right uppercuts. Then, Andrade appeared to be ready to throw a punch when Bute stepped forward and dropped him with flush, straight left. Andrade got back to his feet, but it seemed as if his equilibrium was off. Andrade attempted to land a straight right to Bute's head when Bute countered with a punishing left that landed on Andrade's waistline. Andrade could not beat the ten count.

This was a very impressive performance for Lucian Bute. Many people felt this fight would go the distance because of their first encounter. Andrade is a very tough fighter, who likes to pressure opponents, while Bute likes to stay on the outside and fight. After dropping Andrade twice with two solid shots, you have to wonder why Lucian Bute was not included in Showtime's "Super Six" Tournament? Is he not one of the best at 168 lbs. in the world? With the victory, the 29 year old Bute improves to 25-0, 20 KO's. 31 year old Librado Andrade falls to 28-3, 21 KO's. Hang a punching bag without drilling with a heavy bag stand.

Funeka Robbed Of A Decision Victory Against Guzman

On the undercard, Ali Funeka battled Joan Guzman (29-0-1, 17 KO's) to a 12 round majority draw. This was a bout that Funeka clearly should have won. In the opening round, Guzman came out firing lefts and rights to the body of the taller Funeka. Funeka was not really snapping his jab, rather he was pushing it out there. Guzman took full advantage of it by landing his overhand right. In the 3rd round, Guzman landed a solid overhand right to the body. Funeka picked up the pace and started to land some hard overhand rights off his jab. Funeka's jab gave Guzman a bloody nose.

Funeka was trying to keep the fight on the outside. In the 4th round, Guzman suffered a cut under his right eye after his head collided with Guzman. However, the referee ruled the cut resulted from a punch, which could have been a factor in the decision if the fight went to the scorecards early. Funeka's punches appeared much sharper in the 5th and 6th rounds. He peppered Guzman's face with the jab and connected with right hands following it. At this point, Guzman had minimal success going to the body.

Guzman was getting pushed back by Funeka's jab early in the 7th round. Funeka was comfortable utilizing the jab from a distance and Guzman had trouble getting his punches off. When Guzman got in close range, he was landing big body shots again, but not in combination.

The action picked up in the 8th round as Guzman imposed his will and was more aggressive. However, Guzman got rocked by a right hand from Funeka as he went to release his punch at the same time. With Funeka having the reach advantage, his punch got to the target quicker. Guzman survived the round, but on wobbly legs. Funeka dictated the pace of round 9 as he successfully employed his sharp, accurate jab again and landed right crosses off of it.

In the 10th round, Guzman fired punches without much steam on them. The crisp combination punching of Funeka really hurt Guzman. Funeka became more accurate with his left hook as each round passed. With a very bloody face, Guzman ate some flush right hands from Funeka in the 11th round. Guzman was frustrated and leaned on the ropes to try and trick Funeka into coming forward recklessly. When the fight got into the 12th round, Guzman continued to show his toughness by coming forward. Funeka met Guzman with his own aggression and repeatedly beat him to the punch with left hooks and right hands.

This bout was declared a 12 round majority draw. It was an absolute robbery. The official judges scored it 114-114 twice and 116-112 for Ali Funeka (30-2-3, 25 KO's). I had the fight scored 9 rounds to 3 or 117-111 for Ali Funeka. What more does a guy have to do to win a fight? Funeka beat Guzman to the punch, bloodied his face and controlled the pace at his range, for the majority of the bout. It is very sad the judges did not reward Funeka for the effort he put forth tonight. Save $10 on your subscription to SI.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

The first round of Showtime's "Super Six" Tournament has now been completed as Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KO's) defeated Mikkel Kessler (42-2, 32 KO's) by an 11th round technical decision to capture the WBA Super Middleweight title. The official judges scored the bout 98-92 twice and 97-93 for Ward. With the victory, Ward acquired 2 points in the tournament. I scored the bout 99-91 for Ward.

Beginning in the 1st round, Ward dictated the pace of this fight using an effective left jab and lateral movement that kept Kessler from landing quality punches. Kessler was aggressive in the 2nd round as he charged forward with a strong left jab. However, Ward was too slick as he landed a clean left uppercut in close quarters and followed it with a hard overhand right. As the fight went into the 3rd round, Kessler did not throw his jab enough and Ward took full advantage of it. Ward threw a flurry, landing an overhand right after he fired the jab. Then, Ward landed a solid right and followed it with a crisp left hook that connected on Kessler's chin.

In the 4th round, Ward used the jab to set up his left hook. Kessler landed a left hook-overhand right combination. Ward countered by stinging Kessler with a sharp right cross. Next, Ward switched to a southpaw stance and nailed Kessler with a straight left. Kessler did well in the 5th round, scoring with left hooks and connecting with a right to the body that pushed Ward back. Ward was a little less aggressive this round, but scored early with a left hook and overhand right that caused swelling under Kessler's right eye.

Ward picked up the pace again in the 6th round. Kessler scored with a left hook. Ward lunged forward with his punches and then connected with another left uppercut in close range. His left jab started to force Kessler to move backward. Kessler appeared not to see Ward's punches coming at him as the fight moved into the 7th round. Ward landed a right cross and was controlling distance extremely well. Ward was successful going to the body with the left hook. Kessler fired a left hook back, but was met with another right cross from Ward.

Ward kept firing the jab in the 8th round and followed it with many right hand shots. He landed another left uppercut inside. Kessler really started to miss with his punches. After he missed with his shots, Ward landed a big right that forced Kessler back. Ward continued to beat Kessler to the punch as the fight went into the 9th round. Ward peppered Kessler's face with some more right-left combinations. Kessler caught Ward with a solid left hook, but suffered a cut over his left eye due to an accidental clash of heads.

By the 10th round, Kessler was really showing the effects of the punishment Ward was dishing out. Ward was nailing Kessler with very hard, accurate jabs, right crosses and left hooks. As Ward came forward, another clash of heads took place. Kessler now had cuts above both eyes and another cut on his right cheekbone. When Ward connected with a lead right hand in the 11th, referee Jack Reiss stopped the bout due to the cuts on Kessler's face. However, the bout went to the scorecards because Reiss ruled the cut resulted from the accidental clash of heads that transpired earlier in the bout.

In some people's minds, Andre Ward may now be the favorite to win the "Super Six" Tournament. I originally picked Ward to take a decision tonight, but I did not expect it to happen the way it did. His hand speed was too much for Kessler and may overwhelm his other opponents when he moves forward in the tournament. If Ward can control the range like he did tonight by utilizing his left jab and using his superior boxing ability, he probably will be too much for anyone in the "Super Six" to handle. Ward's next opponent will be Jermain Taylor, who has lost 4 of his last 5 bouts with 3 losses coming by knockout. Ward won a 2004 Olympic gold medal in Athens, Greece in the Light Heavyweight division.

The point scoring system of the Super Middleweight Tournament is as follows:

Each fighter will have the opportunity to compete against one another in a series of scheduled twelve round bouts during the first three “Group Stages” of the tournament. There is also a point system in place:

A win is 2 points (with a 1-point bonus for a KO/TKO).

A draw is 1 point for each fighter. A loss equals 0 points.

The four highest point scorers will move on to the semifinal rounds, while the two fighters with the least point totals will be eliminated. The winners of the semifinal bouts will meet in the final round of the championship series in early 2011.

Stage 2 of the tournament will match Andre Dirrell against Arthur Abraham, Mikkel Kessler against Carl Froch and Jermain Taylor against Andre Ward.

At the moment, Arthur Abraham has acquired 3 points for his 12th round knockout victory over Jermain Taylor. Carl Froch has received 2 points for his 12 round split decision win over Andre Dirrell.

In Stage 3, Andre Dirrell will face Andre Ward, Carl Froch will take on Arthur Abraham and Jermain Taylor will battle against Mikkel Kessler.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Keys to the fight:(Kessler) Kessler needs to put enormous pressure and establish his left jab to keep Ward from dictating the pace of this fight with his skillful boxing ability. Ward has faster hands, but Kessler's hand speed is vastly underrated. Kessler has the edge in power and if he can impose his will successfully on Ward, he can defeat him. Kessler also has the edge in experience because he has fought better opposition such as Anthony Mundine, Eric Lucas, Markus Beyer, Librado Andrade and perhaps the best super middleweight of all time, Joe Calzaghe.

Keys to the fight:(Ward) Look for Ward to use angles and a lot of movement against Kessler. If Ward can use his boxing ability to keep Kessler turning and not set to punch, it will enable him to land accurate combinations. Kessler does not fight well backing up and he will be the aggressor. If Ward can execute a game plan of sticking and moving, he will take Kessler's strength away from him because Kessler will not be able to land his power shots. Ward's most notable opponents have been Jerson Ravelo and Edison Miranda. Ward doesn't possess the professional experience of Kessler, but is a very intelligent fighter, who has been getting better with each bout.

Prediction: I'm picking Andre Ward by a very close 12 round unanimous decision. Going into this bout, some say Kessler is the man to beat in the tournament. However, Kessler has trouble with fighters that give different angles and show good movement. For example, Kessler had trouble landing his power punches against Joe Calzaghe. Calzaghe boxed beautifully against Kessler and kept him from being set to punch. Although Calzaghe is a southpaw, Andre Ward shows similar boxing ability and movement. Ward is a smart fighter that is starting to peak now. If Joe Calzaghe can out box Kessler with his great movement, I say the 2004 Olympic Gold medalist can too! See the speed bag platforms at BoxingDepot.com